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50 Centésimos counterfeit
| Issuer | Uruguay |
|---|---|
| Year | 1877 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Pewter |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | The Uruguayan national coat of arms occupies the central field, depicting a quartered oval shield surmounted by a radiant rising sun. The shield is flanked by laurel branches and supported by national symbols including a fasces and a balance at the base. The circular legend REPUBLICA ORIENTAL DEL URUGUAY runs along the upper periphery, with a five-pointed star positioned in the lower field below the arms. The coin's cast manufacture imparts a slightly soft, granular surface texture to the design elements throughout. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
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| Mintage | 1877 A |
| Additional information |
Uruguay's 1877 silver coinage was struck at the Hamburg Mint under contract — the genuine 50 centésimos being a well-documented issue in .900 fine silver. This pewter piece is a contemporary counterfeit, almost certainly produced for circulation fraud rather than numismatic deception, at a time when Uruguay's monetary infrastructure was fragile enough that debased substitutes could pass undetected in daily commerce.
The choice of pewter is telling. It approximates silver's color superficially but at a fraction of the cost, and the 33mm diameter matches the host coin closely enough to survive casual handling. Contemporary counterfeits of South American silver from this decade are significantly underrepresented in reference literature.